Eloquence of Love
by FlowerOwl
Summary: When Malon found Sheik standing on the other side of the door, collapsing the moment she saw her, she had not known what her attempt at helping her would lead to.


Malon was not sure what she had expected when the sound of someone knocking on the door interrupted her in the middle of the task of cleaning up where the cuccos had been flying around for the day, but for her to open up the door to find Sheik standing outside, swaying back and forth with a delirious, glassy look in her eyes was certainly not it.

"Sheik, I—" Malon began, but before she got the chance to say anything more, to ask what Sheik was doing here, what had happened to her since the last time Malon had seen her, it finally seemed that Sheik realised that she was there, as she looked up at her, her gaze becoming focused for a moment.

"Malon." the word was closer to a sigh than anything else, Sheik reaching out towards the door frame, perhaps to help keep herself upright.

She never made it all the way over there. Malon was not sure if it was because Sheik did not possess the energy needed for the movement or if her swinging her arm in front of her in an attempt at reaching the door had made her lose her balance, but no matter the reasons, fact was, that one moment Sheik was standing there, looking at Malon, her eyes growing distant again, and the next she had collapsed.

Someone let out a surprised shriek and since she was the only one still conscious, Malon knew that it must have been her, even if she right then could only focus on the fact that Sheik was falling, the sight of how she came dangerously close to knocking her head against floor making Malon push against the door frame to help her reach Sheik in time. Wrapping her arms around her, Malon shifted her weight over to one foot, trying her best not to be pulled down along with Sheik. For a moment, she wobbled, her stomach sinking to the ground as she thought she felt Sheik slip out of her grasp, but somehow she found the strength to step backwards, allowing herself to lean against the wall, using it to keep them both from falling.

From the way Sheik was following along, her arms and legs having gone limp, requiring Malon to do her best to keep her head somewhat still, Malon knew that she would not have been able to feel it if she had really hit the floor, but right then, all that mattered was the fact that Sheik had shown up at the ranch, looking like the only reason she was still standing was sheer determination, before that had faltered as well, leaving her to collapse.

Trying her best to be as careful as possible, Malon wrapped one arm around Sheik's shoulders, making it so that she could lift her up. As Malon used her foot to push the door wide open, she could feel how Sheik stirred slightly, her head rolling to the side, nestled between Malon's arm and chest. Despite how she knew she should be worried about what had led to the situation, Malon could not keep a smile from forming as she looked down. Farore, although she might have grumbled a bit to the cuccos about how her father never seemed to be around when there was work to do, as Malon carried Sheik back inside, she was grateful for how she had found herself with no other choice than to stay at home to tend to the animals when both her father as well as Ingo had disappeared during the day.

"Move," Malon hissed to the cucco that seemed to have picked the dining table as its new home, "I need it now." when the bird did not react, Malon sighed and, turned around to be able to push it away with her elbow. The cucco let out an offended chirp, but did not fly back up onto the table. Malon supposed that was all she could have asked for, so, sending the cucco and apologetic look, she slowly placed Sheik on the table, making sure to place her hand under her head so that she would not hit it against the wooden planks of the table. Then, she began working.

Although Malon was not sure what exactly had caused Sheik to faint or what the reason for the light layer of sweat that covered her forehead was, she did have an idea of what she could do to, at the very least, soothe the pain a bit, so, after quickly reaching out to press a hand to Sheik's cheek only to state that her temperature was much higher than what it was supposed to be, Malon all but sprinted up the stairs, digging through her drawers for a shirt that did not have any traces of mud she had not been able to remove while washing it left in the fabric. Her return to the ground floor only told her what she had already expected; that the more adventurous cuccos were slowly beginning to move closer to Sheik, the bravest of them trying to peck at her hand. Malon shooed them away with a sharp whistle before continuing towards her destination—the well.

The bucket was heavier as she pulled it back up, but the adrenaline and the knowledge that she still had not got the chance to ask Sheik what had happened to her helped Malon to complete the task much quicker than she would have thought possible, barely remembering to soak the shirt in the water, before running back inside with the dripping piece of cloth between her hands as she tried her best wring the water out of it.

"Sheik, Sheik, Sheik," Malon whispered, shaking her head, when she pulled the chair in under her and began to pat the sweat away from Sheik's forehead, "what happened to you?"

But, of course, Malon did not receive any answer, Sheik remaining unconscious, so she let the silence in the room grow as she tried to focus on the task rather than letting her mind conjure up all the different scenarios that might have led to Sheik being forced to come to Lon Lon Ranch, barely able to support herself before she fainted the moment Malon opened the door. But, try as she might, Malon was not able to keep her thoughts away from the question she wanted answers to the most. In fact, the more she tried to busy herself with other things, occasionally having to shove a curious cucco away from Sheik, the more her mind seemed to insist on pondering over the question of just what might have led to the scratches she soon discovered hidden away underneath the piece of fabric Sheik had pulled up to her nose, the wounds drawing long lines over Sheik's cheeks, the angry redness as well as the swelling informing Malon that this was about more than just another instance of Sheik having gone a bit too close to the wrong cucco.

Already, her thoughts were flying towards the reasons why the only memories she had of her father having been alert were all from her childhood when he had had to travel through Hyrule Fields, the way he had warned her not to go outside after dark. Malon had always been happy to comply, seeing as it was warm under her blankets, but she had heard the tales of the monsters that would wander through the fields at night and how they could take an unlucky traveller by surprise if they managed to catch them off guard. Could that be what had happened to Sheik? Glancing back down at the marks, Malon could see how they continued down Sheik's neck as well, possibly even being even longer than what she could see. That had to be the reason, or at least Malon did not dare to imagine why any person would have wanted to inflect wounds like those she was now trying to clean on anyone else. But how? Everyone knew that, despite the way he had rendered Castle Town lifeless, the only ones still there being the walking corpses looking to attack anyone who came too near, ever since Ganondorf had seized power, the fields remained silent at night.

The feeling of Sheik stirring brought Malon back to the present, her arm jerking slightly as she looked down to see how Sheik's eyelids were flickering slightly.

With a gasp, Sheik opened her eyes completely, and the way she looked up at her, panic evident in her gaze, her breathing shallow and fast as she spoke, made Malon feel like her stomach had been replaced with rocks from the way it sank to the floor. Farore, what had happened to her?

"Malon?" it was not until then Sheik even seemed to realise that she was there, glancing up at her, drawing her brows together. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

Trying her best to maintain a cheery expression, Malon shrugged slightly. "I was hoping you might be able to help me answer that question, actually. All that I know is that you showed up at the ranch about ten minutes ago, saying my name before collapsing."

Sheik blinked at her. "I did? I can't remember any of it." from her tone of voice, Malon could tell that it was not meant as an accusation, but as much as she tried to remind herself of that, it did not keep her blood from feeling like it had been replaced with ice.

Clearing her throat and hoping that it would hide how she had to reach up to wipe a couple of tears away from her eyes, Malon nodded. "Well, you did, and from how quickly you lost consciousness, I am sure that you had been through quite a lot by then. Look," Malon held the shirt closer to Sheik, letting her see the way the fabric that had once been white was now closer to brown, the mixture of dirt, sweat, and blood having seeped into it, making it so that Malon doubted that even throwing it into the lake and then spending hours trying to get it out again would ever be able return it to its original colour, "you were covered in dirt when I saw you, so, after you collapsed, I tried my best to clean you up a little. Still, I was not able to clean up those wounds completely, but I do hope that I have done enough to keep them from becoming infected."

Perhaps Sheik did remember more than what she was telling, for Malon had barely finished speaking before her hand had flown up to her cheek, the movement being much quicker than what Malon had expected from Sheik.

As she let her fingers travel along the edges the scratches had etched into her face, Sheik looked back up at Malon. "Did I—" she shook her head a bit, her eyes closing for a second as her breathing grew quicker once more, but as Malon got up from her chair, already halfway ready to run for help in Kakariko Village if that was what Sheik required, she had opened her eyes again, and although they were still shiny, with a red tinge to them, Sheik managed to make her voice sound at least somewhat clear when she continued, "did I say anything about why I was here?"

"No," Malon answered, "you passed out the moment you opened the door."

From the way Sheik was nodding to herself, Malon was not sure if it was a good thing or not. Thankfully, she did not have to ask for any further details, as Sheik mumbled something under her breath for a second before once more speaking loudly enough for Malon to be able to hear. "That is good. I— I wish that I would be able to tell you why I came here, but…" Sheik paused, and Malon could tell how she hesitated, not because she did not know which words to use, but rather because she was considering her next sentence carefully, "this, the things I am doing, I mean—they are dangerous. I would not want to put you in danger by telling you about it. I am sorry, but I just can't."

Malon could see how Sheik was trying to meet her gaze, to try to look into her eyes, hoping to gain a silent acceptance. Perhaps that was what Malon should have done, assured her that it was all right and that the last thing Sheik needed to do right now was to worry about what Malon thought about the fact that she was seemingly not able to tell her about the reasons for why she had opened her door so late in the evening to find her standing outside, looking like she was more dead than alive. And if it had been anyone but Sheik, Malon supposed that it might have been what she would have done. But fact was that as she sat back down in the chair, Malon knew that she would not be able not to get an answer to the question that felt like it was burning on her tongue, not to know the names of whoever had done this to Sheik.

So, although she could see how Sheik was begging her not to, Malon tilted her head. "Well, I am sure it would be a lot easier for me to help you if I knew what had happened to you." with rehearsed nonchalance, Malon made sure that Sheik would be able to look at the piece of cloth as she pretended to have to inspect it before pressing it back against her forehead once more.

Even as she frowned, Malon could tell how Sheik was not able to keep back a hint of a chuckle, the laugh, however, soon being interrupted by a pained groan. "No, no, I am fine," Sheik said, pushing Malon's hand away as she tried to help her, "just—I think I might have hit something when I tried to sit up."

"Maybe you should try not to sit up then," Malon suggested. Although she tried her best to mask her worry, she already knew that she could not hide the way her eyes immediately darted towards where Sheik's elbow had just made contact with the table as she had tried to sit up, her mind already spinning with worried thoughts about what the clothing that covered almost every last centimetre of Sheik might hide. If she only looked at her face, Malon might have been able to fool herself into thinking that it wasn't that bad, but just how many wounds were currently hidden beneath the folds of the fabric?

"Yeah, perhaps I should," Sheik said, not quite succeeding in hiding just how much strength forcing the words over her lips took, "but I want to sit up, and no amount of pain is going to stop me!"

Only a couple of weeks ago, Sheik saying something like that would have made Malon laugh. She could still recall how Sheik had sat up after falling from the roof of the barn, shaking her head to remove the blades of grass while laughing at Malon's worry about the risk of broken bones, managing to seem so unperturbed that Malon joined her in the end. But now, Malon could not help but wonder if she had perhaps let the sound of Sheik laughing distract her from how she should have continued to ask questions.

She was not about to make the same mistake twice, so although Malon could hear how Sheik continued to talk, clearly trying her best to distract Malon from her quest of finding out more about what had caused Sheik to come to the house in the middle of the night, she did not give up, instead shifting in her seat to allow herself to lean in over the table, bringing her face closer to Sheik's. "Sheik," she said, fighting to keep her voice even, to keep it calm enough for Sheik to know that she could tell her about what had happened, "will you please tell me? I need to know what has happened. Please?"

Sheik sent her a long glare, the way Malon's heart almost seemed to slow down as she searched for any clue as to what Sheik's answer to her plea would be, looking for a sign about whether or not she would share the truth with her, in her eyes, not making it feel any shorter.

But finally, Sheik did sigh, the breath almost seeming to rob her of her energy as she leant back to lie down on the table once more, barely turning her head to the side to face Malon. "If you really want to hear, then I suppose it is only right to tell you after having gone here. But just know that what I say might put you in danger. Do you understand?" when Malon nodded, Sheik sent her a tiny smile. "I suppose I should have known how that would be your answer already. Very well then. I doubt it will put you in even more danger than what the fact that I might have been spotted around here already has."

As Sheik glanced back up towards the roof above them, her frantic breathing telling Malon that she was trying her best to appear calm, Malon could not help but wonder just what Sheik had meant by that. Who could have spotted her and why would that put her in danger? Malon did know about how, after the amount of customers who had enough money to buy from the ranches scattered throughout Hyrule had decreased, the risk of someone attacking the ranch had increased as well, but try as she might, she could not figure out how Sheik could ever think that it could be her fault. Still, Malon did not dare to interrupt Sheik to get an answer to her question, too afraid that it would cause her to change her mind and insist that she would be safer if she did not know, so she stayed silent as she waited for Sheik to continue.

Luckily for her, the moment came sooner than what she would have expected mere minutes before, Sheik appearing to finally find her answers written on the wooden planks of the roof as she finally looked back over at Malon. "I—I must ask you to please forgive me in advance. No," she held up a hand, the motion causing her to groan and Malon to press the piece of cloth to her cheek again, trying her best to clean the wounds, "please don't ask me why just yet. I just wanted to tell you that I know that what I have done is wrong, so if you would allow me the selfishness of asking for forgiveness now—"

Malon interrupted her, unable to listen to the pain in Sheik's voice for a second more. "Of course I will. No matter what, I will always forgive you."

Sheik shot her a thin smile that did not hold the usual joy Malon would find hidden in such a gesture. "If I were you, I would not make such promises before I have heard what I have to tell you. Just wait, you might find yourself forced to change your mind about how you will always forgive me in just a moment, for what I have done—" Sheik swallowed, and from the way her voice trembled slightly, Malon could tell that she was trying her best not to cry, "I will not call it unforgivable per se, but I have let it continue for such a long time that I can hardly blame you if you tell me to leave immediately."

"Never. I would never tell you to leave, not while you are lying here, almost too weak to lift your head from the table," Malon said, finding herself unable to keep the dismay out of her voice, "and don't you dare to think that I would have acted any differently had it not been for this." she waved the soaked blouse in front of Sheik's face, hoping that the sight of how her own blood had played a part in the reason for it now being almost brown would perhaps make her realise how she did not merely tell her not to fear to make her feel better.

"I suppose I will try my best not to think that then," Sheik chuckled, the sound soon being interrupted by her winching and bringing a hand up to lightly press against the sides of her ribs.

"Your ribs, are they…? Goddesses, Sheik…" already, Malon was ready to try to figure out if they perhaps had anything hidden away towards the back of a cupboard that might ease the pain a little, but Sheik simply waved her hand at her.

"It is nothing to worry about, nothing I haven't experienced countless times already." she must not have realised how that piece of information did nothing to calm Malon, for she continued as if she had never said it, "right now, more than anything else, I need to tell you the truth while I still have the courage to do so, for I am sure that if I wait until tomorrow, I will find myself unable to tell you." Sheik looked up, meeting Malon's gaze, her voice dropping to level where it was barely audible. "I am so sorry, but I have lied to you since they day we first met."

It felt like her heart should have skipped a beat at that, her brain struggling to catch up, but perhaps it was because she was still focused on trying to ensure that Sheik would be all right, the feeling of the wet cloth in her hand acting both as a reminder of how she could not stop dabbing the cold sweat away from Sheik's face as well as a way for her to calm down and remember what really mattered; that Sheik was right there with her, able to talk to her, but even as Malon knew that she should have been shocked by the confession, the only thing that flowed through her as she nodded to let Sheik know that she had heard her was relief. It was only a lie. Sheik would not suddenly tell her how she had received a life-threatening injury, a wound that the clothes were able to hide. Granted, Sheik admitting that she had lied did not exactly eliminate the possibility of such a thing, but Malon forced herself not to think about it. For now, she was content to simply let herself believe that it would all be fine in the end.

"Oh," Malon said, and even to her, her voice sounded much lighter and airy than before, "well, what did you lie about?"

She could tell how Sheik hesitated for a moment, clearly studying her face for a sign of Malon trying to keep back any feelings of anger her confession had caused. Malon did her best to appear calm, not to show the little, nagging voice telling her that she should have told Sheik that the truth would have to wait for tomorrow and that she needed rest now. It was the correct thing to do, especially with how Sheik was shivering slightly despite the way the cuccos around them were able to keep the house warm even in the coldest winters, but, as much as she would have loved to claim otherwise, Malon knew that she had to find out the truth now. So she continued to dab the sweat away, letting Sheik know how she could tell her the truth without fearing that Malon would suddenly decide that she had changed her mind and ask her to leave.

The silence between them grew, but just as Malon was beginning to consider if Sheik had perhaps lost courage, Sheik took a deep breath. "My name is not Sheik."

"What?" despite how she tried her best to control herself, Malon could not help but react, tearing her gaze away from Sheik's—no, for she was not Sheik at all—forehead to instead look directly into her eyes. "What do you mean your name is not Sheik, it was what you told me to call you when we first met!" although she tried her best to think of a reason that would explain it all—a thief who had taken the name so as to better be able to escape, someone who was afraid of being followed—she could not figure out the reason.

"I know. I—I am sorry that I did not tell you the truth sooner, but when I first came here, I was tired, hungry, and perhaps most of all afraid that the rest of my village would hear about how I had journeyed through Hyrule Field. So I did not tell you my real name. I am sorry."

"No, you have nothing to apologise for," Malon said, though the way her stomach felt like it had been replaced by a rock at the thought of not even having known her name for all these months said something else entirely, "I am just a bit confused. I mean, if your name isn't Sheik, then what can I call you?"

"Well, my name is Zelda," Sheik—no, Zelda—said, "and as for being confused, I can absolutely understand that." a tiny smile graced her lips, though it was gone a moment later, almost like Zelda was not quite sure if she could allow herself to laugh at the situation. "I must admit that I did not think my plan through when I decided not to tell you my actual name. I don't think I had known at the time that I would come to visit you this often or that we would… become so close." Malon could tell how Zelda was fumbling for her hand and she hurried to place the blouse back down onto the table to let her have that little comfort, letting her fingers brush against Zelda's as Zelda continued. "Please believe me when I say that if I had, I know that I would have told you the truth from the very beginning."

Malon nodded. "I do. I just still don't really understand the need for the lie in the first place."

"To tell the truth, I must admit that I don't understand it either right now. But—I—well," Zelda paused for a moment, her gaze flickering from Malon's face, to the roof above them, before finally coming to rest on their hands. Although Malon was not sure how that could be the decisive factor, it seemed to be the case for Zelda, for she continued, talking so quickly that Malon knew how she would not be able to repeat it again later, "I live in Kakariko Village, and when I told my parents that I wanted to travel and explore Hyrule, they were not exactly supportive. So I snuck out and tried my best not to be seen when I would return before dawn, hoping that no one would realise that I had ever left. I guess it did make me more tired than I had realised, for I think that was the reason I decided not to tell you the truth, that I was for some reason fearing you would ever have a reason to go to my parents and tell them about how someone with my name had visited you." Zelda chuckled, and for the first time since she had opened her eyes, for the first time since Malon had brought her inside, the way they twinkled with joy looked sincere.

Still, Malon could not help but feel that there was something she had yet to realise. Knitting her brows, she looked at the dirtied blouse while gesturing towards the cuts on Zelda's face. "And what about the scratches?"

"The scratches?" for a moment, Zelda both looked and sounded like she had forgot everything about the reasons for why she was lying on the dining table, but then she sent her a short smile, reaching up to let her hand recognise the shape of the lines that ran from her cheekbone, down her neck, and perhaps even further down. "Oh those. Well, I guess that they are the price you have to pay when you like to try to explore Death Mountain—sometimes the Tektites manage to overwhelm you!" Zelda must have been able to tell from the expression on Malon's face that she had still not managed to fully convince her, for she shook her head. "I am sorry for coming here, I know that it must have been—well, I am not quite self-centred to dare describe it as being a frightening experience, but it must not have been all that pleasant for you to see me there and for me to collapse, making it so that you had to carry me inside."

And that was it, the honesty in her voice, the signs that Zelda was honestly believing each and every word she was saying, that made Malon unable to stay quiet for even a second longer. Placing both hands on the table so that she could lean in, coming so close to Zelda that their nose almost touched, Malon did everything she could to let Zelda know how she meant every word as she began. "No, don't apologise. I anything, I am happy that you thought of coming here." she squeezed Zelda's hand and tried not to think about the implications of the disbelieving look she sent her in response.

"You are?" Zelda was not able to hide how she had to supress a yawn, and although Malon could tell how she tried her best not to let it show, it was evident that she was exhausted, the way Zelda had gone completely limp, not even having the energy to lift her head, her eyelids fluttering, not closing completely, but also letting Malon see how Zelda was not quite there anymore.

"Yes." Malon kept her voice firm, making sure not to leave any room for doubts as she continued. "But we can discuss this in the morning. Right now, you need to rest."

And for once, Zelda did not argue with her. Perhaps it was due to how Malon doubted she would have the energy to, or perhaps she did finally realise that she was right—the exact reason was not too important to her in the moment as all that mattered was the fact that Zelda finally appeared to have stopped fighting against the exhaustion, closing her eyes as she brought her hand up to her head, using it as some sort of makeshift pillow, curling up on the table.

"Malon," Zelda mumbled, the tone of her voice making it clear how she was already halfway asleep. Still, Malon moved closer to her, smiling, just in case Zelda would open her eyes to look at her again. But Zelda did not do that. Instead, she continued, "I… love you."

And that was the moment where Malon realised why she had been able to be so calm before—this was the moment where her brain would have to fight to decipher the meaning of the words. They would have made sense in almost any other context but this one.

Still, as Malon looked down and saw how the corners of Zelda's lips curled up into peaceful smile, she knew exactly what to do.

Pressing a tiny kiss to her forehead, Malon allowed herself to pause for a moment to simply take in the fact that she had never seen Zelda like this before, looking completely at ease. As she lay there, there was no trace of the discomfort that the hard surface below her and the wounds that Malon would no doubt have to tend to in the morning should have brought her to find on her face.

"I love you to," Malon whispered, careful not to speak so loudly that Zelda would wake up.

Zelda did not stir when Malon lifted her up to move her up the stairs, and she was thankful for that. As Malon was finally able to pull the blankets up around Zelda, Zelda moving slightly to bring her hand up to her cheek, she doubted that she would ever experience a feeling as intense as that of the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach when she looked back at Zelda for one last time before shutting the door and going back downstairs to wait for something she was not even able to define herself to happen.


End file.
